Whole Wheat Pita Chips with Mascarpone-Chive Dip

We just weeded our garden, it's been long over due, but now we're ready to plant some crops! Out staples we usually plant are tomatoes, squash and zucchini since we've had really good luck with all of those (when the pesky animals don't get to them first, atleast). We still have some herbs from last season that we didn't pull out to see if those will come back for us. I didn't realize how many chives we have in there! I wish I would have noticed before buying some at the store for this dip.

It's always nice to have quick appetizer recipes on hand. This makes a good dip for a get together or just for snacking. The flavor is like sour cream and onion, but with bacon! So good. Next time i'll try it with cream cheese instead of mascarpone to see how it compares, especially since the mascarpone was a little pricey. I've never even thought to try making pita chips before and I was surprised how quick and easy it actually was. They were crunchy with great flavor and would also go well with hummus. The original recipe calls for 4 whole pita breads, but I ended up needing more than that to finish off the dip.

Whole Wheat Pita Chips with Mascarpone-Chive Dip

Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:

4-6 whole wheat pita breads- halved

2 TBLS. olive oil

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning

1/2 t. pepper, plus more for seasoning

4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, finely chopped

1 c. (8 oz.) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

3/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Cut each pita half into 4 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush with the oil, then sprinkle with the oregano, salt and pepper. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes until crisp and golden.

In a medium bowl, combine the bacon, mascarpone cheese, sour cream, and chives. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl. Arrange the pita chips and dip on a platter and serve.